Electric mobility in Africa poised to rise

Although the current market penetration of electric vehicles in Africa is low compared to other parts of the world, the uptake is poised to increase as countries integrate e-mobility into their climate action plans.

Alexander Korner, program management officer at the United Nations Environment Programme's Sustainable Mobility Unit in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, said Africa will experience faster uptake of electric mobility in the next few years.

He said the continent has many opportunities for the adoption of electric vehicles and several countries have expressed interest in the sector.

Korner said motorcycles are leading in the e-mobility uptake in Africa because they are easier to be electrified compared to others.

"Motorcycles have the smallest battery and their cost is low. Currently, there are many private sector players who are manufacturing, assembling or importing electric motorcycles," he said.

Korner said the introduction of bus fleets is also gaining popularity across Africa with many private companies investing in the sector.

BasiGo, an e-mobility startup based in Kenya, delivered 15 electric buses in April to public service vehicle operators plying Nairobi routes.

The company promised to introduce more buses to other parts of the country once repair and charging stations are developed.

Jit Bhattacharya, chief executive officer of BasiGo, said one electric bus reduces up to 50 metric tons of carbon emissions a year.

Public transportation

Senegal is also expected to launch at least 120 electric buses to operate on Dakar's Bus Rapid Transit system.

Cote d'Ivoire is also planning to deploy electric buses on Abidjan's BRT system.

Warren Ondanje, managing director of the Africa E-mobility Alliance, said in sub-Saharan Africa, there has been high market adoption in Tanzania and South Africa in comparison to markets with many companies like Kenya, Ghana and Uganda.

He said Kenya and South Africa are leading on the investment front, as South Africa is leaning more on four-wheeler vehicle sales together with high-speed charging infrastructure.

Kenya, on the other hand, has its e-mobility investments focused on commercial passenger and goods transport with the support of innovative financing structures.

Noting that Africa is the only region where many people use fleet vehicles, Korner said electrification of vehicles would have a big impact on energy efficiency and climate change mitigation.

Jane Akumu, also a program management officer at the UNEP's Sustainable Mobility Unit, said cities across Africa are shifting to electric buses due to environmental costs and job creation.

"We are importing these two- and three-wheelers from China and India, so why not shift to electric because these markets are already moving in that direction and not consuming the conventional ones?" she said.

Korner said the investment cost of all clean technologies is higher compared to conventional technology, so governments should consider reducing taxes on electric motorcycles to increase the uptake.

"Governments should invest in the e-mobility market so that it takes off future savings when it comes to less fuel importation," he said.

Korner said most of the African countries are fuel importers, making up a very large share of the foreign exchange balance.